What You Need to Know About the World Around You

Given the complexity and scope of challenges we face related to science, engineering, and medicine, it can be difficult at times to separate fact from opinion. The “What You Need to Know” websites are primers on topics of social and scientific interest. By providing basic, objective information about issues that affect us as individuals and as a nation, they aim to help people make better decisions, informed by science.

American society, with a standard of living unprecedented in human history, can attribute a large measure of its success to increasingly sophisticated uses of energy. But that condition has come at a cost—to irreplaceable resources, to the environment, and to our national independence. Discover how we produce and utilize energy today and how that might change in the future.

Consider Environmental Impact

Most of our body weight is made up of microbes. They live on our skin, in our gut, and throughout our bodies. Most don’t do us any harm—in fact, many help us survive. But there are certain bacteria, viruses, and other microbial life forms that can cause illness, or even death. Learn the basics about microbes and the fascinating relationship we have with them.